...What The Hell Rich Parents Are Thinking.

So, this morning on the radio I heard about some preschool. Not just any preschool. A very prestigious preschool. Want to send your children to it when you start a family? Well, you probably can't. If I remember correctly, it's acceptance rate is like 2.6% (compared to that of Harvard, which is 6.2%). Plus, you also need the money - it's annual fee is like $2000 higher than the school fees of Harvard too. That's around US$32,000 per year. Confused? So am I.

Sadly, I forgot the name of this place and therefore failed to find sufficient information to back up all the data that I had provided above. However, I did manage to do some snooping and I found a school called Ethical Culture Fieldston School. The section of that school I'm focusing on is the Lower School, which consists of kids between kindergarten age to 5th grade. It was ranked the most expensive preschool by Forbes in 2007. It apparently costed $30,440 per year (let's just hope that if you enroll multiple children you can get some discounts) and who knows how much it costs now with inflation and such. So, basically as a parent, you would be paying over 30 grand a year for your child to go to this amazing place and... take naps, laugh, play with blocks and make new friends.

What is the difference really between a normal kindergarten and this one? Probably not much. So what if those kids get to play with golden play-doh? It's still just play-doh - it can't make your child fly or what not. So what if those kids get to have amazing preschool teachers who can recite A-Z backwards in under 3 seconds? Children at that age can't even learn that much, (nor adults, I'm pretty sure my example is an impossible feat... oops) - well there's definitely a limit as to what they will be able to take in. So what if those kids get to go on miraculous field trips that involve human sized Barbie dolls and life-sized HotWheels cars? Most kids won't even remember that experience. Want to keep your child confined to a snobby rich atmosphere where their only friends each have a herd of ponies and their own little mansion? That's the way!

I can understand if the rich sent their children to prestigious primaries, middle/intermediate, high schools and universities. That's acceptable - children need a good academic basis/beginning to develop, they need a good environment to learn and they need opportunities and advice for growth. But seriously, paying that much for your child to go to pre-school is just illogical. 

Plus, since you barely even know what your child is good at and how academically capable they are, you might be even setting them up for failure - think how angry you will be if your child, whom you spent over $100,000 on preschool education, turns out to be an average or difficult student. You're technically pressuring them. Money does not assure success. That money could probably be used much more efficiently. I would choose to give a handful of deprived children an opportunity of proper education over one single preschooler having quality naps in a bed made from the best silk in the world (after having taken a trip to the Grand Canyon of course).